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In 2003, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a very quiet leadership transition as Dan Rooney passed the torch to his son Art Rooney II to officially assume the role of President of the Steelers organization. It was very similar to how “The Chief” Art Rooney transitioned the authority to his son Dan Rooney. Dan assumed the designation of Chairman of the Board (last held by “The Chief” until his death in 1988), in which he held until his passing in 2017.
Without question, the Steelers have never been more successful than during the periods when the younger Rooney oversaw and made the business decisions of the team with the elder Rooney having the luxury of being able to get closer to the players and become the trusted father figure that could genuinely make a significant impact in the personal lives of the players. There was a uniqueness to having a separation between Owner and President, with an open door policy to speak directly to a Rooney who had genuine affection for his players. And it’s by no coincidence that the Steelers of the 1970s would speak about “The Chief” with the same reverence and respect that the Steelers of the 2000s would speak about when talking about Dan.
The Steelers were successful during the period when Dan Rooney had to shoulder the burden and responsibility as both Owner and President. While caring about the players is extremely important, it arguably proved more difficult to balance the two roles in the same manner. And that is the position that Art Rooney II is in now.
Despite successful seasons, the Super Bowl proved to be elusive and it was clear the team was only a franchise quarterback away from the achievement, a fact I do not believe was ever lost on Dan Rooney. He truly regretted not selecting Dan Marino in 1983, even though he had the authority to override the decision of Chuck Noll to pass on the talented hometown hero. Dan Rooney truly believed that Kordell Stewart would become a true franchise quarterback and had to come to the realization that Stewart was not going to get them where they wanted to be. It ultimately led to Dan Rooney influencing Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher to select Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, despite the fact that both the head coach and general manager trusted and felt they could win with Tommy Maddox.
Based on what Art Rooney II shared with a group of local writers this past Friday, it appears that he is extremely keen to the importance of finding the right quarterback for the future of the franchise, as well as learning from the mistakes of the past. He acknowledged that it won’t be an easy task, but he made it clear that he was not looking for a running quarterback similar to the likes of Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, or Cam Newton.
Art Rooney II, per The Athletic:
The simple translation of that is that the Steelers want another Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger, quarterbacks with mobility and can run if necessary, but the most important attribute is the ability to pass. And in a league in which the ability of a QB to keep their head up, maneuver their way to buy time and make a play that might need to go a little off-script is extremely valuable, it appears that is the direction Art Rooney II wants to take.
In the past season, the Steelers faced off against the three such quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow. Not coincidentally, all three had the most success in overcoming the best pass rush in the NFL for five seasons straight because of those traits. However, quarterbacks of that nature don’t exactly come easy nor often drop to the 20th pick in the NFL Draft, so the Steelers will either have to struggle to have a high enough pick, or be aggressive in the draft to trade up. ARII seems to agree with that sentiment, as he put his own spin on a classic Chuck Noll quote: “You can’t go to the local Piggly Wiggly and find a quarterback.”
Regardless of the way you feel about how Art Rooney II has chosen to run the Steelers; it ultimately is his way. He doesn’t speak to the public as other owners, but when he does, he generally means what he says. And historically speaking, the perception that the Rooney’s are “soft” is not the reality, as Cowher found out the hard way early in his career when he challenged Dan Rooney’s decision to not match the offer to Merrill Hoge and let him go in free agency. In much the same way, when Art Rooney II directed Bruce Arians to scale back his scheme that led to Roethlisberger being sacked more than any quarterback in the league during his 5-year stint as offensive coordinator, in the end he was told he was retiring and brought in Todd Haley to execute that directive.
Clearly, ARII does not undervalue the 18 years of having the luxury and benefits of what a Ben Roethlisberger brings to the team, as despite knocking on the door multiple times, it did not result in a Lombardi Trophy. It seems that he is not content in waiting two decades in the hope that a quarterback of that caliber becomes available with the team’s normal draft slot.
Art Rooney II, per The Athletic:
Whether or not the organization decides that there is a quarterback they wish to pursue this year is yet to be seen, it’s equally unlikely that they will retain the same static philosophy and become more aggressive towards pursuing a true franchise quarterback. And that is definitely a philosophy that this Steeler Nation contributor agrees with completely.
What thoughts do you have about the Steelers direction under Art Rooney II and finding a new franchise QB? Leave a thought below.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Without question, the Steelers have never been more successful than during the periods when the younger Rooney oversaw and made the business decisions of the team with the elder Rooney having the luxury of being able to get closer to the players and become the trusted father figure that could genuinely make a significant impact in the personal lives of the players. There was a uniqueness to having a separation between Owner and President, with an open door policy to speak directly to a Rooney who had genuine affection for his players. And it’s by no coincidence that the Steelers of the 1970s would speak about “The Chief” with the same reverence and respect that the Steelers of the 2000s would speak about when talking about Dan.
The Steelers were successful during the period when Dan Rooney had to shoulder the burden and responsibility as both Owner and President. While caring about the players is extremely important, it arguably proved more difficult to balance the two roles in the same manner. And that is the position that Art Rooney II is in now.
Despite successful seasons, the Super Bowl proved to be elusive and it was clear the team was only a franchise quarterback away from the achievement, a fact I do not believe was ever lost on Dan Rooney. He truly regretted not selecting Dan Marino in 1983, even though he had the authority to override the decision of Chuck Noll to pass on the talented hometown hero. Dan Rooney truly believed that Kordell Stewart would become a true franchise quarterback and had to come to the realization that Stewart was not going to get them where they wanted to be. It ultimately led to Dan Rooney influencing Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher to select Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, despite the fact that both the head coach and general manager trusted and felt they could win with Tommy Maddox.
Based on what Art Rooney II shared with a group of local writers this past Friday, it appears that he is extremely keen to the importance of finding the right quarterback for the future of the franchise, as well as learning from the mistakes of the past. He acknowledged that it won’t be an easy task, but he made it clear that he was not looking for a running quarterback similar to the likes of Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, or Cam Newton.
Art Rooney II, per The Athletic:
The simple translation of that is that the Steelers want another Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger, quarterbacks with mobility and can run if necessary, but the most important attribute is the ability to pass. And in a league in which the ability of a QB to keep their head up, maneuver their way to buy time and make a play that might need to go a little off-script is extremely valuable, it appears that is the direction Art Rooney II wants to take.
In the past season, the Steelers faced off against the three such quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow. Not coincidentally, all three had the most success in overcoming the best pass rush in the NFL for five seasons straight because of those traits. However, quarterbacks of that nature don’t exactly come easy nor often drop to the 20th pick in the NFL Draft, so the Steelers will either have to struggle to have a high enough pick, or be aggressive in the draft to trade up. ARII seems to agree with that sentiment, as he put his own spin on a classic Chuck Noll quote: “You can’t go to the local Piggly Wiggly and find a quarterback.”
Regardless of the way you feel about how Art Rooney II has chosen to run the Steelers; it ultimately is his way. He doesn’t speak to the public as other owners, but when he does, he generally means what he says. And historically speaking, the perception that the Rooney’s are “soft” is not the reality, as Cowher found out the hard way early in his career when he challenged Dan Rooney’s decision to not match the offer to Merrill Hoge and let him go in free agency. In much the same way, when Art Rooney II directed Bruce Arians to scale back his scheme that led to Roethlisberger being sacked more than any quarterback in the league during his 5-year stint as offensive coordinator, in the end he was told he was retiring and brought in Todd Haley to execute that directive.
Clearly, ARII does not undervalue the 18 years of having the luxury and benefits of what a Ben Roethlisberger brings to the team, as despite knocking on the door multiple times, it did not result in a Lombardi Trophy. It seems that he is not content in waiting two decades in the hope that a quarterback of that caliber becomes available with the team’s normal draft slot.
Art Rooney II, per The Athletic:
Whether or not the organization decides that there is a quarterback they wish to pursue this year is yet to be seen, it’s equally unlikely that they will retain the same static philosophy and become more aggressive towards pursuing a true franchise quarterback. And that is definitely a philosophy that this Steeler Nation contributor agrees with completely.
What thoughts do you have about the Steelers direction under Art Rooney II and finding a new franchise QB? Leave a thought below.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
